Vascular Plants of the Gila Wilderness

Presented in Association with theWestern New Mexico University Department
of Natural Sciences

Family: Cactaceae

Status: Native

Synonyms:Opuntia spinosior (Engelmann) Toumey

Cylindropuntia spinosior suffers a bad rep. It certainly is dangerous if it is inadvertently
contacted, as the spines rapidly detach into the skin and are painful. However, the purple flowers
appear in profusion in the early summer and it can be a beautiful yard plant. Cylindropuntia spinosior
has been used in yards to protect outside windows from approach. The cylindrical segments are much
thicker than those of Cylindropuntia leptocaulis, although the two do hybridize. Cylindropuntia spinosior grows in lower and middle
elevations and approaches the upper elevations as well, although it does not commonly grow over about
8,500 feet. When a pollinating insect (or investigator's finger) brushes the many yellow stamens in the
flower's center, the stamens can easily be seen closing in slowly towards the pistil. The ripe spineless fruits of Cylindropuntia spinosior are bright yellow rather than the magenta of many other cacti here. This cactus probably reproduces more often by separating the stem segments than by the dissemination of seeds. The seeds are suborbicular (nearly lens shaped) and flattened with a conspicuous smooth girdle. Local artists use the woody skeletons of Cylindropuntia spinosior in natural sculptures. Plants living in the mountainous areas of southwest New Mexico must be as tolerant of cold and snow as they are to low water conditions. Some of the population here, to a varying extent, start to droop and turn purplish in response to winter.
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